montgomery



R. MONTGOMERY.

' EXOAVATOR No. 7,346. Patented May 7, 1850.

UNITE RICHARD MONTGOMERY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SCREW EXCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 7,346, dated May 7, 1850.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD MONTGOM- ERY, of New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain Machinery for Excavating and Raising Sand, Mud, Earth, 620., and that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the principle or character which distinguishes this from all other things before known and of the usual manner of making, modifying, and using the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which.

Figure 1, is a perspective view of the machine and Fig. 2 a section through the same. The great expense and difficulty in the construction of excavating and dredging machines as hitherto made, requiring many complex and Varied motions, as well as their imperfect act-ion, have greatly retarded their, employment in many works of importance, and the spade and wheel barrow are still much usedin extensive works often requiring an immense outlay in building cotter dams to keep out the water so that human labor can be employed. Also in the gold region of California, where much of the precious metal is found at the bottom of rivers, the gold diggers have to Work in the water, thereby contracting disease and death, or resort to the laborious work of turning the course of the river itself, and diverting it to another channel.

My invention is designed to effect the purposes of excavating either in or out of water, dredging mud, removing sand bars, deepening canals, elevating auriferous sands, loading coal &c. on vessels or wagons &c. &c.

The drawings represent the application of the invention to the purpose of dredging and elevating mud, sand, &c., from the bot tom of rivers, canals, &c.

(a) is a scow which carries the elevating cylinder or tube (6) and the machinery for giving motion, and into which the mud &c. 1s discharged when raised. The cylinder (6) is made witha shaft (0) through its center. Around the shaft at the lower end of the cylinder is wound the Archimedian screw (d) which is furnished with a cutting edge at its extremity (e) as well as that part of the cylinder between the termination of. the screw and the next turn of the thread. The screw is made with such a pitch, and number of turns as may befound most advantageous in. practice. The cylinder is made to extend in length, at its upper end by being made in two sections, to adapt it to different depths of water by the piece f) which slides, like a tele scope tube, over the cylinder The cylinder is supported at one end by the bearmiddle of its length, by a set of friction rollers (g) which allow the cylinder to revolve between them. Revolution is given to the shaft (it) to which is connected by the universal joint the shaft and cylinder. The cylinder can e set at any required angle by the adjustable bearing (is) and the ring (Z) in which the friction rollers (g) are set. This ringbeing supported by two pins at opposite sides which rest in notches in the pieces (m) which project from the ends of the scow in which are several notches that permit the pins to be shifted for the purposes required.

(n) is an elevated cistern with holes pierced in its bottom, into which water is pumped which falls through the holes upon the matter raised by the screw when it is used for raising auriferous sands, which washes away the lighter particles and leaves the gold behind, a suitable trough being provided for that purpose. Two of these elevating cylinders may be used in one scow, revolving in different directions, to counteract the tendency of one cylinder to move the boat by its reaction on the ground. Two or more threads of the screw may be formed in the cylinder if required.

The shaft (0) may be made capable of being elongated, so as to project the screw to greater depths by forming one part of it tubular and causing the other part to slide within it.

Having thus fully described my ap-pa ratus, I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not claim a screw borer for excavating earth, as that has before been employed for boring post holes and other purposes, but i What I do claim as my invention, and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The employment of a screw excavator combined with an adjustable tube as above described, for the purpose of excavating and conveying off earth, said tube being placed at any angle or vertically, or horizontally as the case may require.

ing of the shaft (0) and also at about the I 2. I'also claim the apparatus forsustain- Which is connected with the prime mover ing moving and guiding the excavator as by universal joints. above described by which it is combined with the prime mover so as to be readily MONTGOMERY 5 pointed in any direction said apparatus eon- VVitnesses:

sisting of a ring With shifting bearings and EDWARD EVERETT,

a movable bearing for the shaft to rest'in ,WM. GREENOUGH. 

